1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a saddle-type electric vehicle that is driven by an electric motor, particularly, to a technology of improving the rigidity of a frame of the vehicle.
2. Description of the Related Art
The development of a saddle-type electric vehicle has made progress in which a rear wheel that is a drive wheel is driven by an electric motor. JP 2010-18270 A and International Publication No. 2012/066598 disclose an electric two-wheel vehicle as examples of a saddle-type electric vehicle.
In the vehicle disclosed in JP 2010-18270 A, a battery for supplying electrical power to the electric motor is disposed between right and left frames that extend rearward and downward from a head pipe. The battery can be detached from the vehicle body, and can be charged.
The vehicle disclosed in International Publication No. 2012/066598 includes a battery case that accommodates the battery. In this vehicle, the head pipe is connected to a front surface of the battery case, and the battery case functions as a portion of a vehicle body frame. The battery disclosed in JP 2010-18270A and International Publication No. 2012/066598 has a length in the front-rear direction greater than the lateral width of the battery. Accordingly, it is possible to secure the size of the battery by efficiently using a space between the head pipe and a seat.